# Les Schwab Invitational

The Les Schwab Invitational (LSI) is Oregon's premier pre-season high school invitational basketball tournament.[1] Prior to its founding in 1996, Oregon's high school teams had to travel out of state for quality pre-season play, denying fans connection to local teams prior to the regular season. In 1994, South Salem High School coach Barry Adams and Beaverton High School coach Nick Robertson, along with the Oregon Athletic Coaches Association, proposed a pre-season tournament to showcase the upcoming season's top teams. After two years of phone calls, lobbying, and meetings, the Oregon State Activities Association approved the proposition and the Oregon Holiday Invitational (renamed in 2000 The Les Schwab Invitational) was born. Since its creation, the tournament has hosted nationally ranked teams from many states including Virginia, New York, Nevada, Louisiana, Texas, Maryland, Georgia, Florida, Pennsylvania, and numerous top teams from California. The LSI is a 4-day, 32-game, boy's high school basketball tournament. It features 16 teams chosen from Oregon's top schools and elite national teams through a partnership with Nike. Prime Time Sports is the owner and promoter of the tournament which was founded by co-tournament creator John McCallum.

## Facts

* Played in the month of December, usually between December 26 and January 1.
* Is a 5-day, 32-game, and 16-team tournament.
* Tournament awards include: "The Mr.Hustle Award", "Tournament MVP" and "The Shawn Zinsli Team Sportsmanship Award"
* Participating teams raise money for their basketball programs through ticket sales and sponsor donations
* Oak Hill Academy, from Mouth of Wilson, Virginia has won five LSI championships ('97, '01, '04,'06, '11)
* More than 40 Les Schwab Invitational participants have gone on to play in the NBA
* Kevin Durant, the 2008 NBA Rookie of the Year was a player in the 2004 LSI while at Oak Hill Academy
* Kevin Love is the only freshman to ever be named LSI Most Valuable Player as he did in 2003 while at Lake Oswego High School

## Venues

Year-Venue(s)
* 1996 -Westview High School-Portland, OR.; South Salem High School, Salem, OR.; The University of Portland, Portland, OR.; Beaverton High School, Beaverton, OR.
* 1997-Lewis and Clark College, Portland, OR.
* 1998-Lewis and Clark College, Portland, OR.
* 1999-Lewis and Clark College, Portland, OR.
* 2000-Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR.
* 2001-Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR.
* 2002-The University of Portland, Portland, OR.
* 2003-The University of Portland, Portland, OR.
* 2004–2023-Liberty High School, Hillsboro, OR.
* 2024–Present-Viking Pavilion @ Portland State, Portland, OR.

## Teams invited

* Oregon State classification basketball teams from any level as well as the top teams from the Northwest are invited based on selections made by a committee that meets each January.
* 3-4 nationally ranked Nike-sponsored teams are also brought in from around the country.

## Past champions

Year School
* 1996 Beaverton High School Beavers
* 1997 Oak Hill Academy Warriors
* 1998 Crenshaw High School Cougars
* 1999 Jefferson High School Democrats
* 2000 Dominguez High School Dons
* 2001 Oak Hill Academy Warriors
* 2002 Bishop O’Connell High School Knights
* 2003 Jesuit High School Crusaders
* 2004 Oak Hill Academy Warriors
* 2005 Reserve Christian Eagles
* 2006 Oak Hill Academy Warriors
* 2007 Archbishop Mitty High School Monarchs
* 2008 Dominguez High School Dons
* 2009 Westchester High School Comets
* 2010 DeMatha Catholic Stags
* 2011 Oak Hill Academy Warriors
* 2012 Lake Oswego High School Lakers
* 2013 Rainier Beach High School Vikings
* 2014 Montverde Academy Eagles
* 2015 Oak Hill Academy Warriors
* 2016 Nathan Hale High School Raiders
* 2017 Oak Hill Academy Warriors
* 2018 Sierra Canyon School Trailblazers
* 2019 Mater Dei High School Monarchs
* 2020 Cancelled due to COVID-19 Pandemic
* 2021 Link Academy Lions
* 2022 West Linn High School Lions
* 2023 Columbus (Miami, FL) Explorers

## LSI participants named McDonald's All Americans

* Carmelo Anthony | Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, VA 2001
* Andre Barrett | Rice High School, New York, NY 1999
* Evan Burns | Fairfax High School, Los Angeles, CA 2000
* Tweety Carter | Reserve Christian, Laplace, LA 2005
* Tyson Chandler | Dominguez High School, Compton, CA 2000
* Eric Devendorf | Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, VA 2004
* Mike Dunleavy Jr. | Jesuit High School, Portland, OR 1998
* Kevin Durant | Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, VA 2004
* Ndudi Ebi | Westbury Christian, Houston, TX 2002
* Donté Greene | Towson Catholic, Towson, MD 2005
* JJ Hickson | Wheeler High School, Marietta, GA 2006
* Brandon Jennings | Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, VA 2006
* Terrence Jones | Jefferson High School, Portland, OR 2010
* Doron Lamb | Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, VA 2009
* Tywon Lawson | Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, VA 2004
* Kevin Love | Lake Oswego High School, Lake Oswego, OR 2007
* Kyle Wiltjer | Jesuit High School, Beaverton, OR 2011
* Jaylen Brown | Wheeler High School, Marietta, GA 2015
* Ben Simmons | Montverde Academy, Montverde, FL 2015
* Michael Porter Jr | Nathan Hale High School, Seattle, WA 2017
* Keldon Johnson | Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, VA 2018
* Vernon Carey Jr. | NSU University School, Fort Lauderdale, FL 2019*
* Scottie Barnes | University School, Fort Lauderdale, FL 2020
* Nathan Bittle | Crater High School, Crater, OR 2021
* Nolan Hickman | Eastside Catholic, Seattle, WA 2021
* Julian Phillips | Link Academy, Branson, MO 2022
* Amari Bailey | Sierra Canyon, Chatsworth, CA 2022
* Jordan Walsh | Link Academy, Branson, MO 2022
* Mookie Cook | Jefferson High, Portland, OR 2023
* Ron Holland | Duncanville High School, Duncanville, TX 2023
* Omaha Biliew | Link Academy, Branson, MO 2023
* Bronny James | Sierra Canyon, Chatsworth, CA 2023
* Trent Perry | Harvard-Westlake, Hollywood, CA 2024

## Les Schwab Invitational NBA players

* Carmelo Anthony – Oak Hill Academy / Portland Trail Blazers
* Tyson Chandler – Dominguez H.S. / Chicago Bulls 2001–06, New Orleans Hornets 2006–09, Charlotte Bobcats 2009–10, Dallas Mavericks 2010-11 & 2014–15, New York Knicks 2011–14, Phoenix Suns 2015–2018, Los Angeles Lakers 2018
* Kevin Durant – Oak Hill Academy / Seattle SuperSonics 2007–08, Oklahoma City Thunder 2008–2016, Golden State Warriors 2016–Present
* Kevin Love – Lake Oswego H.S. / Miami Heat
* Greg Monroe – Helen Cox H.S. / Toronto Raptors
* Kemba Walker – Rice H.S. / Charlotte Hornets
* Marvin Bagley III - Sierra Canyon H.S. / Detroit Pistons
* Jaylen Brown - Wheeler H.S. / Boston Celtics
* Markelle Fultz - Dematha H.S. / Orlando Magic
* Aaron Gordon - Archbishop Mitty H.S. / Denver Nuggets
* Dejounte Murray - Rainier Beach H.S. / Atlanta Hawks
* Terrence Ross - Jefferson H.S. / Phoenix Suns
* Ben Simmons - Montverde Academy / Brooklyn Nets
* Jahlil Okafor - Whitney Young / New Orleans Pelicans
* Michael Porter Jr - Nathan Hale HS / Denver Nuggets
* Keldon Johnson - Oak Hill Academy / San Antonio Spurs
* Payton Pritchard - West Linn H.S. / Boston Celtics
* Scottie Barnes - University School / Toronto Raptors
* Zach Collins - Bishop Gorman / San Antonio Spurs
* Tari Eason - Garfield HS / Houston Rockets
* Jerami Grant - DeMatha Catholic / Portland Trail Blazers
* Drew Eubanks - Reynolds HS / Portland Trail Blazers
* Kenyon Martin Jr. - Sierra Canyon / Houston Rockets
* Jaylen Nowell - Garfield HS / Minnesota Timberwolves
* Kevin Porter Jr. - Rainier Beach / Houston Rockets
* Scotty Pippen Jr. - Sierra Canyon / Memphis Grizzlies
* JT Thor - Norcross HS / Charlotte Hornets
* Jordan Walsh - Link Academy / Boston Celtics
* Ron Holland - Duncanville HS / Detroit Pistons
* Bronny James - Sierra Canyon HS / Los Angeles Lakers

## Sponsors

The current presenting sponsor is Express Employment Professionals. The tournament's two main sponsors who have been involved from the beginning are Les Schwab Tires and Nike, both Oregon based companies. Les Schwab Tires is the title sponsor and Nike is the premier sports brand in the world.